He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God? Micah 6:8 NKJV

There is a lot of change hamppening in our world right now. COVID19 has taken the lives of many worldwide. Jobs are gone for the time being. Social interaction has been altered. New fears have dominated the airwaves and speculations. Racial tension has risen  to the forefront among every city and officials. One thing does not change, the expectation of what God requires of thee.

Today’s verse is found in the middle of Micah chapter 6, where Micah had recorded God’s speech to the children of Israel. They had stopped listening and following God. In verse 9, He transitions to identifying the injustices that  exists among the peoples. He speaks of the misuse of finances using an unfair scale. He tells them why they are experiencing lack of provision even though there seems to plenty. He is aware of their sicknesses. He knows that they have followed other spiritual paths that are not the ways that He has shown for them to follow. When the country is in turmoil, God is concerned about justice from His perspective.

God loves justice, mercy and humility. To highlight only one concept is to miss God’s heart. We must pursue all three to fulfill what God requires. 

To do justly begins with answering the question, “who is my neighbor”? Remember the religious leader had this statement added to the question he made for Jeusus, “wanting to justify himself, he asked,” When we know someone, we are concerned with their welfare.  When we have put them into the “I don’t know and I don’t care about them” category, then we are not concerned with matters of justice for them also. God expects us to pursue and engage in justice matters that are violating what God says is right.

To love mercy does not negate seeking justice. Mercy softens our hearts so that we can see justice from God’s perspective. Most pursue justice from one sided perspective. Black Lives Matter – Yes. From God’s perspective All Lives Matter. When one of the 100 are hurting He leaves the other “all lives 99” to seek the “one” who is hurting and lost. The one is still part of the 100, that Jesus is highlighting as one who is hurting and lost. The one deserves the same justice and mercy that the other 99 have received. God so loved the world, all lives, that He sent Jesus to us.

Mercy remembers that God has forgiven us, the individual, so that we extend forgiveness to others. We do not diminish the injustice by extending Mercy. Mercy brings injustice to a place of healing instead of the bruises of one eye for the other eye. Justice for wrong doing can still exist with Mercy. Mercy reminds us that we have all messed up and need to extend and receive forgiveness. Mercy is not silent when our neighbor is in need, but it speaks with compassion instead of the anger of “get even” or “get what’s comin'”.

The hardest adjustment is to walk humbly. This is the place of raw openness before God that invites Him to reveal our own prejudices, pride, sins, and hidden arrogance. Not in words only, but with the heart we declare, “except for the grace of God, there go I”. We realize at this point that the rock of justice in our hand could be used against ourselves as well as throwing it at the other person. All the accusers left the woman who had committed adultery for their own sins had been revealed. Knowing how broken you may be, does not stop you from engaging in justice. It just means you walk with a limp having encountered the grace of God deeply. May we walk humbly- especially me.

What Does God Require of Thee

DO JUSTLY – Adjust to…Engage in…what God says is right for all people

LOVE MERCY – We’ve all messed up and need to extend and receive forgiveness

WALK HUMBLY – Especially Me

Blessings Love y’all